Chapter 3 Environmental Courts and Tribunals in the Philippines

Opportunities and Challenges in Environmental Litigation

In: Environmental Courts and Tribunals in Asia-Pacific
Author:
Grizelda Mayo Anda
Search for other papers by Grizelda Mayo Anda in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Type:
Chapter
Pages:
64–85
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004695863_004

Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

$40.00
Add to Cart
Redeem Access Token

Abstract

In 2008, five years after its pronouncements in Minors Oposa v. Factoran on the significance of fundamental environmental rights in the Philippine Constitution, the Philippines Supreme Court designated 117 municipal and regional trial courts across the Philippines as environmental courts. In April 2010, the Supreme Court issued the Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases (‘RPEC’) which shall govern the procedure in civil, criminal and special civil actions before various subordinate courts, involving enforcement or violations of environmental laws and other related laws, rules and regulations.1 RPEC resulted from, among others, the inputs of various stakeholders in roundtable discussions and video conferences on the role of the courts as well as citizens in environmental protection. RPEC sought, among others, to address the issues of standing, costs of suit, evidence and speediness. It included provisions on citizen suits, special writs of Kalikasan and Continuing Mandamus, the precautionary principle as well as strategic litigation against public participation (‘SLAPP’). This chapter examines the challenges and opportunities in the adjudication of environmental cases since the promulgation of RPEC.

  • Collapse
  • Expand

Environmental Courts and Tribunals in Asia-Pacific

Best Practices, Challenges and the Way Forward

Series:  Brill's Asian Law Series, Volume: 13
Cover Environmental Courts and Tribunals in Asia-Pacific
E-Book ISBN:
9789004695863
Publisher:
Brill | Nijhoff
Print Publication Date:
30 Oct 2024

  • The Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, 1987.

  • Fisheries Code, ra No. 8550, as amended by ra 10654.

  • Clean Air Act, ra 8749.

  • Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, ra 9003.

  • National Integrated Protected Areas System (nipas) Act, ra 7586.

  • Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System, Presidential Decree No. 1586.

  • Arigo v Swift, gr No 206510, 16 Sep 2014.

  • Bishop Arigo, et al v. Scott Swift, et al,g.r. No. 20510, 16 September 2014.

  • Boracay Foundation, Inc. v. The Province of Aklan, et al,g.r. 196870, 26 June 2012.

  • Braga v. Abaya,gr No. 223976, 13 Sep 2016.

  • Consolidated cases of Paje, et al. vs Casino, (gr No. 207257, gr No. 207276, gr No. 207282, and gr No. 207366, 3 February 2015).

  • mmdav. Concerned Residents of Manila Bayg.r. Nos. 171947–48.

  • Mosqueda, et al. v.ca, g.r. No. 189185, 16 August 2016.

  • Oposa v. Factoran, Jr,g.r. No. 101083, 30 July 1993.

  • Resident Marine Mammals of Tañon Strait, et al. v.doe, et al.,g.r. No. 180771, 21 April 2015.

  • Resident Marine Mammals of the Protected Seascape Tanon Strait v. doeSecretary Angelo Reyes, et alg.r. No. 181527, 21 April 2015.

  • Sanggacala, et al v. National Power Corporationnpc,g.r. No. 209538, 7 July 2021.

  • Segovia, et al. v. Climate Change Commission, et al.,g.r. No. 211010, 7 Mar 2017.

  • West Tower Condominium Corporation v. The First Philippine Industrial Corporation (fpic)g.r. No. 194239, 16 June 2015.

  • F. Tolentino, ‘An Environmental Writ: The Philippines’ Avatar’(2010) 35 ibpJournal 1, 119.

  • Philippine Judicial Academy, Access to Environmental Justice: A Sourcebook on Environmental Rights and Legal Remedies (2011), pp. xxv–277.

  • Supreme Court, a.m. No. 09-6-8-sc, Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases.

  • Supreme Court of the Philippines. ‘The Rationale and Annotation to the Rules of Procedure for Environmental Cases’ (2010), p.50. Available at: <https://philja.judiciary.gov.ph/files/learning_materials/A.m.No.09-6-8-SC_rationale.pdf> accessed 18 March 2023.

  • Business and Human Rights Resources Centre, ‘Court makes landmark ruling against Marcopper Mining Corporation for one of the worst mining disasters to hit the country’ (2022) Available at: <https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/philippines-court-rules-against-marcopper-mining-corporation-for-one-of-the-worst-mining-disasters-to-hit-the-country/> accessed 18 March 2023.

  • Former Chief Justice R. Corona, ‘To Every One His Due: The Philippine Judiciary at the Forefront of Promoting Environmental Justice’, a public lecture on environmental law and protection delivered before the Graduate School of the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, November 20, 2010.

Metrics

All Time Past 365 days Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 257 257 38
Full Text Views 3 3 0
PDF Views & Downloads 10 10 0